Fraternal Discovery
by magicks
Summary: A familiar face makes a case very personal to Sara. But is all really what it seems? r&r *Chap 4 up*
1. Chapter 1

Fraternal Discovery 

By: magicks 

Summary: um, if I told you it would spoil the story 

Disclaimer: No, I don't own Witchblade. Yes, it is owned by TNT and TopCow. Yes, I do have a top secret plan for overtaking both companies in order to control the WB universe and have Gabriel for myself. No, we did not have this conversation. 

Feedback: need you even ask? 

A/N: To any/all Unusual Alliance fans reading this, I am working on the next chapter. It's just coming *very* slowly. 

"Heads up," Jake called, poking his head through the doorway into Sara and Danny's office. "We got a case." 

"Wrong, rookie, _we_ got a case," Sara corrected, grabbing her jacket and tossing Danny his coat. "You're just coming along for the ride." 

Danny just shrugged when Jake looked at him perplexedly and mouthed 'What did I do?'. "She's been like this all morning." 

"I've been like _what_ all morning?" Sara snarled. 

"Cheerful, as always, Pez," Danny replied with little to no enthusiasm. 

Sara eyed them both suspiciously, but left the room with nothing more than "Come on." 

***************************** 

The ride down was uneventful to say the least. Jake tried to make small talk, but trailed off after receiving short, terse replies from Danny and being completely ignored by Sara. Sara was glad for the silence when it came, because it gave her room to think. She felt bad about being rude to Jake (ok, maybe she didn't feel *that* bad), but she was running on very little sleep, and he had a natural ability to rub her the wrong way. Letting her thoughts drift, Sara found herself contemplating the nightmare that had been haunting her dreams for the past few nights. 

_She was walking down a long hallway, with doors on either side. From the first door she could hear babies crying, and the murmured sounds of adults talking. From the second, the unmistakable laughter of children. A third door stood on the right, and she could clearly hear loud crashes and yelling, followed by a soft wailing. She continued to the door at the end of the hall, which was open a crack, letting a sliver of light shine out. She pushed it open and walked through the doorway into a dingy alley between two brick buildings. At the dead end of the alley a young man lay on his stomach, blood pooling around his head and shoulders. He looked eerily familiar. A gust of wind blew against her back, and she could faintly hear someone whisper with a sardonic chuckle, "One down, two to go, sister Sara." She walked closer to the man and crouched down, reaching for his shoulder to turn him over. A feeling of dread grew in her gut as the body slowly shifted and turned. She was just about to see his face...._

__

"Sara!" 

"What?!" Sara snapped. This always happened. Every time she tried to remember the last part of the dream, something (or *someone*) broke her concentration, and the image was lost. She looked up irritably to see Danny's exasperated face. 

"We're here, Pez." 

"Oh." Sara stepped out of the car and felt an ice-cold chill run down her back when she saw her surroundings. This was the alley from her dream. And at the end she could see the young man, laying on his stomach, the pool of blood starting to congeal. 

Danny snapped on a pair of rubber gloves and handed another pair to Sara. "Here. Put these on." 

She took them, grimacing at his words. "Thanks, Danny, I really wouldn't have thought to do that," she cracked sarcastically. "I've only been working homicide for how many years?" 

"Yeah, yeah," he replied tiredly. "Just do it." 

She slid the gloves on and approached the prone figure ahead of her two partners. Deja-vu swept over her in waves, but the Witchblade was oddly silent. The familiar dread grew when she crouched next to him, but at the same time a curiosity overcame her. Who was this man who had been haunting her dreams, and why did the Witchblade show her everything but his face? Pushing away all thoughts and emotions, she flipped him over. 

Staring back at her with lifeless eyes, his throat slit open and lips slightly parted, was Gabriel Bowman. 

Sara turned her head and was promptly sick all over the pavement. 

A/N 2: *gasp* Did I just kill Gabriel? *wails* Nnnnnoooooooooo!!!!!!! 


	2. Chapter 2

Fraternal Discovery 

By: magicks 

Summary: didn't do it then, not gonna do it now 

Disclaimer: *beep* _(Operator)_ I'm sorry, this line has been disconnected. Please return to first chapter and read again. 

Ok, next chappie. 

Danny and Jake stood in front of the door labeled "Talismaniac.com," waiting for the landlord to find the right key in his large key ring. Finally the middle aged man grasped a group of three keys triumphantly, and started on the locks on the door. 

"I can't believe he's dead," the landlord said. "I just talked to him yesterday. You're sure it was Bowman?" 

"Yes," Danny answered for them. "We have a positive identification from- one of his friends." 

"Poor kid." The landlord sighed. "I always knew he'd get himself killed someday. Dealt with some strange people, if you know what I mean. And that brown haired chick he's always hanging around with." 

"What brown-haired chick?" Jake asked suspiciously. "What does she look like?" 

"Oh, about 5'7", green eyes, long brown hair, killer figure." The landlord paused in his work and his face took on a lewd expression as he pictured what he had just described. "Yeah, real nice figure." 

Danny glanced at the landlord with slight distaste as he realized the man was talking about Sara. "Uh, the locks?" 

"What? Oh, yeah." The landlord shook himself and wrestled the second key into the next lock. "Anyway, you should talk to her. She's up here all the time." 

"I wonder how you would know that," Danny said under his breath. Jake snickered. 

"Here we go. Finally." The landlord turned the key in the last lock and pushed the door open. "Call me if you need me," he yelled over his shoulder, already halfway down the hall. 

"Will do," Jake replied automatically as he and Danny entered the apartment. He looked around the cluttered shop/residence uncomfortably. "Shouldn't Sara be here? I mean, they were close, right? She'd know more about this than us." 

"You said it yourself, Jake, they were close," Danny said, turning to face the blonde detective. "And she found him with his throat slit in the back of an alley. Would you be here if you were her?" 

Jake fell silent, properly chastised. He wandered towards one of the shelves and picked up a small metal bowl standing on three legs, intricate carvings and reliefs decorating the sides and handles. "What is this stuff, anyway?" 

"That happens to be a bronze ting from the Han dynasty," said a voice behind him. Jake whipped his head around, and Danny looked up from the desk he'd been searching. Both of their jaws dropped. There, standing in the doorway to the bedroom, and looking more than a little pissed off, stood Gabriel Bowman, arms crossed over his rumpled shirt. 

"Now I have a question," he continued. "What are you doing here and how the hell did you get in?" 

Danny recovered first. "Gabriel Bowman?" 

"Yeah? Detective Woo, right? You were here before." 

"That's right." 

"Well, who died this time? And, more importantly, who let you in?" 

By this time Jake had found his voice, and blurted out, "You." 

Gabriel looked at him skeptically. "I think I would have remembered letting two cops come into my apartment." 

"No, you died." Jake tried to clarify his statement, but only succeeded in confusing Gabriel even more. 

The young man stared at the blonde detective as if Jake had sprouted feathers and tried to fly out the window. (A/N: wouldn't that be cool?) Then he sighed and turned to Danny. "Translation, please," he requested. 

"We found the body of a young man in an alley off of 50th yesterday. He looked exactly like you," Danny explained. 

Gabriel paled considerably. "Are you sure? Cause, you know, there are a lot of guys with dark hair and brown eyes in New York." 

"Trust me, dude, he looked just like you," Jake assured him. "He was, like, your twin or something." 

"Or something," Gabriel muttered. Danny eyed him suspiciously. 

"Do you know who we found yesterday?" 

"Um, I can't be sure," Gabriel said nervously, pinching his sinuses to ward off the killer headache he knew was coming on. 

"Well, why don't you come down to the station with us and find out," Danny suggested easily, but his eyes glinted a warning that it was not optional. 

"Ok, just give me ten minutes to shower and get dressed. Feel free to- make yourselves at home, or whatever," Gabe answered, heading back to the bedroom. 

"Hey Bowman," Danny called. 

"Call me Gabriel," he answered. 

"Gabriel, just out of curiosity, where were you last night around 10:30?" 

Gabe poked his head out of the bedroom. "See that?" he asked, pointing to a shattered table lamp that lay on the floor by the opposite wall. 

"Yeah." 

"I was dodging it. My girlfriend decided I wasn't spending enough time with her, and wanted to let me know how she felt before she left." 

"Ouch," Jake commented. 

"Very much so. Anyway, I spent the rest of the night with my good friend Jack Daniels," Gabriel finished. Suddenly he looked rather green. "So if you'll excuse me-" he disappeared from their sight, and both detectives could hear the sounds of retching coming from the bathroom. 

"I guess that corraborates his story," Jake commented, wandering into the small kitchen area and taking an empty liquor bottle off the counter. "That and Jack here." 

"Yeah, but he knows something," Danny said quietly, listening as the toilet flushed and the shower turned on. "I'm willing to bet he knows why our guy was killed, if not by who." 

"But why wouldn't he tell us? Do you think he's involved?" 

"No, not with the murder at least. He was truly shocked when we told him about the body; you can't fake that reaction. He's scared, though. I just don't know if it's for himself or someone else." 

Danny stood silently, contemplating the possibilities, as Jake explored the rest of the shop. Completing his tour, he leaned against the back of the sofa and frowned. "Damn. Who's gonna tell Pez?" 

"What about Sara?" Gabe entered the room just in time to hear the last word of Jake's sentence. "Wait a minute, she works with you guys, right? So she thinks I'm-" 

"Yep," Jake answered before he could finish. 

"Shit," was all Gabriel could say. Then a hurt expression came over his face, which he tried to conceal. "Um, if she works with you, then, well, why isn't she here?" He asked, praying that question didn't sound as pathetic as he thought it did. 

Danny studied the boy intently for a moment, trying to discern whether or not he was sincere. Jake, however, threw out an answer. "She couldn't make it." 

Danny saw the mixture of worry and hurt in Gabriel's eyes, watched the dark haired young man assume his fears were true, that she was in trouble, or, worse, didn't care. _The kid really cares about her. Good._ "Sara couldn't handle coming here," he explained gently, trying to smooth over Jake's blunt remark. "It was too much too soon. Your death really shook her up, Gabriel. I've never seen her like this." 

Gabriel looked slightly relieved, although his eyes held their worried expression. "I have to call her." 

"Why don't we just go down to the precinct. This would probably be better done face to face," Danny suggested again, although this was an actual suggestion. 

Gabe looked doubtful, but agreed, and the three men headed for the patrol car. 

A/N: What? I told you I didn't kill Gabriel. I said (and I quote) "Did I just kill Gabriel? No." 


	3. Chapter 3

Title: Fraternal Discovery 

By: magicks 

Summary: don't even go there. 

Disclaimer: I said it once. I'm not saying it again. 

A/N: Ok, this fic is going in a whole different direction than the one I had planned, so I'm taking a poll. Who wants/thinks this should be a Gabe/Pez fic? Review and give me your opinion, please! 

"I thought you said she was here," Gabriel exclaimed, gesturing to the empty office. 

"She was!" Jake yelled back. "She must have gone home or something," he continued in a quieter voice. 

"Well, then I'm going to her apartment." Gabriel turned to leave. 

"Just wait a second," Danny said, grabbing his arm. "We don't know if she went home or not. For all we know she went for a joy ride. So let's just figure out where she is before we go after her. A wild goose chase is the last thing we need." Releasing Gabriel's arm, he sat down at his desk and picked up the phone. "I'll call her apartment and see if she's home." He dialed a number he knew by heart and waited for the first ring. 

********************* 

_bbrrriinnggg_

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_bbrrriinnggg_

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_bbrrriinnggg_

Sara wished the damn phone would stop ringing. She just wanted to be left alone. Why couldn't they just leave her alone? If she was alone, then nobody could hurt her, and she wouldn't fail anyone else. Like she failed Gabriel. He had trusted her to protect him, and she'd failed. He was dead. She hadn't protected him, and he was dead. 

"Oh God," she muttered, beginning to cry again. She was so tired of crying, so tired of everything. Even sleeping made her weary, for her dreams were filled with images of every time she hadn't helped him. She saw him after their encounter with the inner goverment, bruised, bleeding, and physically broken. She saw the fear in his eyes when Nottingham grabbed his chin. She saw his body, lying in the alley with the dirt and trash. But then she saw scenarios that never happened, although they felt just as real. She saw Gabriel being beat up by a couple of cops from the precinct, and stuffed into the trunk of a car. She saw him kneeling in a strange store, a gun held to the back of his head. The strangest, and by far the most frightening, "scenario," however, was set in Irons' sitting room. She saw a younger Nottingham with a feral glint in his eye holding Gabriel by the throat. She wanted so badly to move, but for some reason she didn't. Gabriel looked at her, and she could see acceptance in his eyes. Then, before she could react, Nottingham twisted her friend's head sharply, breaking the bones in his neck with one move, before throwing him onto the plush sofa. 

_bbrrriinnggg_

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_bbrrriinnggg_

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She missed him so much. She had even called his place a few times, just to hear his voice on the message machine. Each time was both comfort and torture, because she knew she would never hear that voice again. It was too hard to go over his apartment for clues; she knew she wouldn't be able to concentrate. So she volunteered to stay at the office and finish some paperwork, a sure sign that there was something wrong. But even being in the office was too much, and she finally gave it up and went home for the day. 

_bbrrriinnggg_

__

_bbrrriinnggg_

Sara groaned and shoved a pillow over her head, trying to block out the sound. Finally, the machine picked up. 

"Pezzini. Go." 

"Hey Sara, it's Danny. I don't know if you're there or not, but if you are, pick up. It's about Gabriel." There was a slight pause. "He's alive." 

Sara was up and across the room before Danny could begin his next sentence. She grabbed the phone from its cradle and yelled, "He's what?!?" 

"Good, you're there. You've got to come down to the precinct, Sara. Now." 

"What do you mean, he's alive? Answer me, Danny!" She was practically shouting now, but she didn't care. All she cared about was getting an explanation. Breaking down, she felt tears come unbidden to her eyes, and her voice cracked as she continued, "I saw him, Danny. He's dead. I failed, and he's dead." 

"No, he's not," her partner insisted. "It's someone else who looks like him, he's not- hold on a second-" She faintly heard Danny say "here," to someone, and the quiet swish of the phone changing hands. Then she heard someone say hello, someone she thought would never say hello to her again. 

"Hello?" Gabriel repeated. "Pez, you there?" 

"Gabriel?" she whispered, afraid to believe it was really him. 

"Yeah, Sara, it's me," he answered, his voice gentle. "I'm alive, Sara, it's alright. I'm down at the station with your partners." 

"Oh my God," was all she could say. Sara sat in stunned silence for almost a minute before Gabriel spoke up. 

"Pez? Sara, are you still there?" Hs worried tone snapped her out of her trance. 

"Gabriel, thank God! Where the hell have you been?!? And who did we find yesterday? He looks just like you!" 

"Why don't we talk at the precinct? I'm in your office. Can you get over here in about twenty minutes?" 

"I'll be there in ten." 

******************************** 

Eight minutes after her phone call with Gabriel, Sara sped into the parking lot at the 11th Precinct, hopping off her bike almost before it stopped and running up the steps while removing her helmet. She strode through the building and stopped dead at the doorway to her office. There, leaning against a file cabinet and looking out the window, was Gabriel. Living, breathing Gabriel. She stared at him for about ten seconds before he looked over and noticed her standing there. He immediately straightened and turned to face her, his face a mixture of hope and apprehension. 

"Hey," he said weakly. 

"Oh, Gabriel." And then she was hugging him hard, one hand on his back and the other on the nape of his neck, pulling him to her in a crushing embrace. He was warm and solid and full of life. She didn't even realize Danny and Jake were in the room until she heard the door close. 

********* 

Gabriel held on to Sara as tightly as she held him, occasionally petting her hair and softly murmuring, "I'm right here. It's okay. I'm alive. I'm fine." Eventually she loosened her grip and pulled back enough to gently take his face into her hands. Her eyes, already puffy from crying, filled once more with tears. 

"You're really ok?" she asked hopefully. 

"I'm really ok," he assured her, and she embraced him again, but this time it was for comfort, not proof of his existence. 

"Don't *ever* do that to me again," she whispered fiecely into his ear. He didn't bother asking what he had done. She released him but kept a hand on his shoulder, to reassure herself he was real and wasn't going anywhere. "So where have you been?" 

"Timbuktu," he retorted sarcastically. "Where do you think? I've been at home." 

"You've been at home," Sara repeated slowly, voice full of shock and disbelief. 

"Yeah, where else would I be?" 

"I called you at least five times last night," she stated, trying to keep her temper in check. 

"Oh, well, I wasn't really up to talking to anybody last night." Gabe averted his gaze so Sara wouldn't see the pain in his eyes. The breakup still smarted, and he really didn't feel like dredging it up so soon. Unfortunately, Sara missed this gesture. 

"You weren't up to talking to anybody last night?" she repeated somewhat hysterically, her voice rising with each word. "What the hell does that mean?" 

"Damn, Pez, you don't have to shout." Gabriel winced, massaging his aching temples. "I was, uh, drowning my sorrows." 

"You were *drunk*?" Sarah asked incredulously, before letting her temper (and her tongue) loose. "I spent the last 24 hours thinking you were dead because you GOT SLOSHED?!?!? What the hell is the matter with you?" she exclaimed, emphasizing the word "hell" with a sharp smack to the back of his head. 

"Ow! Ok, first of all, I did not get-" Gabe paused before the word "sloshed" and recalled the night before, or what he could remember of it. He reconsidered his statement. "First of all, I have every right to get drunk off my ass. I am legal, you know. Secondly, I didn't know it was you on the phone. And thirdly, why the hell were you calling me if you thought I was dead?" 

Sara, for her part, looked properly chastened. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm just so happy you're alive, and when I think about last night it's just-" she didn't finish, and looked away. Gabriel felt his indignant anger melting at the pure emotion she expressed, and he pulled her into another hug. 

"It's okay. I understand, I guess. I mean, I've never had anyone actually feel that strongly for me before. I didn't think anyone did," he said softly. Sara pulled out of the embrace and tilted his chin up slightly so his eyes met hers. 

"Well, I do," she said earnestly, gazing into his eyes. "So pick up your phone next time, okay?" 

"Okay," he agreed. Sara smiled and squeezed his chin gently before letting go. 

"So, what troubles were you trying to drown?" The pained expression flashed across Gabe's face again, but this time Sara caught it. "Gabe? What's wrong honey? What happened?" 

"My girlfriend broke up with me." 

"Oh sweetie, I'm sorry." 

"Yeah, you know, she thought I didn't care about her, I was always too busy, I never spent time with her, yadda yadda." 

"She doesn't deserve you," Sara stated matter-of-factly. 

Gabe chuckled. "Thanks, Pez." 

"What are friends for?" Sara asked as she held her arms out for one last hug. 

End Chapter 3 

Sooo, to ship or not to ship? Please tell me! 


	4. Chapter 4

Title: Fraternal Discovery 

By: magicks 

Disclaimer: *looks through inventory* let's see: Willy Wonka video, wind up toy, wooden figurine... Nope, don't own Witchblade. Sorry. 

A/n: Formal Apology to all S/G shippers: After careful consideration of everyone's opinions, my muse came back and told me there was no way I could ship them in this fic. I had almost got her convinced, but I realized I had already started foreshadowing for a completely different ending (can you figure out what I'm talking about?). So, for everyone who has skipped this paragraph, I'll make this loud and clear: NO SHIP!!!! 

A/n 2: Here you go, Miri. Mushy Sara/Gabe scenes. 

Chapter 4 

"Do you think it's safe to go in?" Jake asked. He turned to Danny, who was refilling his coffee cup. They had been holed up in the break room for twenty minutes, waiting for some sign that the two friends were finished talking. 

"There's only one way to find out," Danny said, picking up his mug and heading down the hall. Jake followed. Pushing open the door, the two cops walked in to find Sara with her arms wrapped comfortably around Gabriel, who had his head resting on her shoulder. Both looked up as the men came in, and Gabriel removed himself from Sara's embrace. Sara, however, stayed possessively close to the young man. 

"Hey, sorry to interrupt," Danny apologized, "but we've still got a body, only now we have no clue who he is _or_ why he was killed. You," he pointed to Gabriel, "said you might be able to identify him?" 

Just as in the apartment, Gabriel stiffened. "Uh, m-maybe," he stuttered. 

Sara peered at him curiously and put a hand on his shoulder. "Gabriel? You okay, buddy?" 

"Yeah, fine." Gabe attempted a smile but failed. Finally he simply ran his hand through his hair and muttered, "Let's get this over with." Danny nodded. 

"Right this way." 

*************at the morgue************* 

Gabriel stared at the corpse in shock, but his eyes held a hint of acceptance. 

"Rafe," he breathed. He looked so pale Sara was sure he was going to faint. She guided him to a chair away from the body and sat him down, pulling up another chair to sit next to him. 

"Gabriel, honey, who's Rafe?" she asked softly. "We need a full name." 

Gabriel looked at her blankly for a second, then seemed to shake himself of the dazed spell. His eyes darted back to the young man on the steel platform, and he stared unblinkingly for a full minute. "His name is Raphael Bowman," he stated quietly. "He's my brother." 

All three detectives fell quiet. Sara was the first to speak. "Oh, Gabe, I'm sorry," she whispered, reaching over to pet his hair. He instinctively leaned towards her touch, and she wrapped an arm around his shoulder, pulling him as close to her as she could. 

Jake muttered to himself and Danny, "So I was right. He does have a twin." Danny nodded, reflective, before turning to Gabriel. 

"Jake's right. He did ask if you had a twin, in the apartment. Why didn't you tell us?" 

Hazel eyes shot up in fury. "Did I say he was my twin?" Gabriel retorted. Seeing the incredulous and expectant looks being directed at him, he explained in his previous quiet voice. "There- we were triplets." 

"Three of you?" Jake asked. 

"Very good, Einstein, you can count," Gabe sneered. Catching Sara's reproving look, he sighed. "We haven't seen each other in a long time. A *long* time. That's why I had to come down and see him for myself. I didn't know who it would be." 

"You didn't know he was in New York? What, you don't talk to your brothers at all?" Jake knew he was being snippy, but Gabe's tone of voice hit a well-worked nerve. 

Instead of a witty comeback, Gabriel shook his head sadly, fighting tears as he stared at the wall opposite. "No, we don't all right? Didn't I just say that? I haven't seen either of my brothers since I was sixteen. Well, I hadn't, anyway." 

"Gabe, do you know of *anything* that might help us? Anything, anything at all. Do you think your other brother would know why Rafe was here?" Sara kept her voice gentle while shooting glares at Jake. 

Gabe snorted. "Uri? I doubt it. Listen, uh, could we maybe do this later? I'm kinda beat." No one questioned the lie. 

"Yeah, sure," Danny answered for all three of the detectives. "Jake, why don't we get some coffee? That sludge they make upstairs has about as much flavor as water, and I for one would like a good cup of java. Come on." Taking Jake by the arm, he dragged the blonde away before he could object. As he passed Sara, Danny muttered "Take care of him," under his breath. Sara nodded, before turning back to the young man who was once again staring at his brother's corpse. 

She approached him quietly, slipping an arm around his shoulders as she did before. He leaned into the embrace, eyes tearing as he tore his gaze from the body to meet Sara's eyes. "I just can't believe he's dead." he whimpered. 

"Sshh." She took him into her arms, stroking his hair, not unlike what he had done with her a little while ago. Gabriel, however, remained tense, his body stiffening as he tried desperately to hold it together. Sensing his ego wouldn't allow him to show emotion in public, Sara began guiding him through some of the less-used hallways of the morgue to a side exit near where she parked her bike. "Let's go over to my place," she suggested, not ready to let him go just yet. 

Gabriel seemed to feel the same way, and he looked over at her shyly. "Sure." 

They took Sara's bike, as Gabriel came in the police car. When they reached her apartment, Sara moved into the kitchen to heat some water. Gabriel could use something calming, and tea was just what they both needed. Gabriel walked slowly over to her couch and sat down. Sara left the stove and placed a hesitant hand on his shoulder. Finally feeling safe, Gabriel let his last reserves crumble, and his shoulders heaved with silent sobs. Sara rocked him softly, her heart breaking with every muffled sob. Eventually the sobs died down to sniffles and the occasional hiccup. Gabriel straightened, removing himself from Sara's embrace, and pinched his sinuses. "Oh, my head," he groaned. 

"Hangover?" Sara guessed. Gabriel started to nod, then stopped abruptly and simply replied, "Yeah." 

"I'll grab the aspirin from the bathroom." Sara started to get up, only to be stopped by Gabriel's hand on her arm. 

"Don't bother," he stuttered. His face paled and he pushed her aside to run into the bathroom. Sara followed in time to see him kneel in front of the porcelain bowl and pay his respects. Crouching down beside him, she rubbed his back soothingly until the heaves subsided. Once she was sure the nausea had passed, she helped him to his feet and led him to the sink so he could wash his mouth out and she could dig out the bottle of aspirin. She ran a glass of water and handed him two pills. Gabriel swallowed them with little difficulty, and Sara took the glass from his hand, setting it on the sink and walking him out of the room towards her bed. 

Gabriel was too exhausted from the hangover and the emotional stresses of the day to even object as Sara pulled back the covers and sat him on the bed. He merely bent down and untied his shoes before sliding under the blankets fully clothed. Sara tucked the bedspread in around him, leaving only when the tea kettle screamed for attention. That taken care of, she returned to the drowsy young man in her care. Eyes closed, prostrate under the blankets, Gabriel looked like a porcelain doll. His persistently messy hair seemed perfectly placed, and his alabaster skin gave him almost an ethereal aura. Even his perpetual five o'clock shadow could have been mistaken for a bit of dust the maid had forgotten to brush off. Sara gazed at him in awe. He was so beautiful, and so delicate; she was almost afraid to touch him. For all of his talk, Gabriel looked like the otherworldly being, not her. 

As if sensing her scrutiny, Gabe stirred under the covers, one hazel eye cracking open. The sudden cognizance startled Sara out of her reverie, and she sat on the side of the bed, lightly carding her fingers through his hair. He smiled at the sensation, and snuggled towards her, half asleep. Sara smiled and sat back against the headboard. She hadn't failed. Gabriel was safe. _And I'm going to keep it that way._

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__You like? You hate? You know how to tell me. 


End file.
